Grappling-tongs.



No. 710,424. Pace'ned` Oct. 7, |902..

c. c.v CARTER. GRAPPLING TuNGs.

(Application mea Jan. 14's,l 1902,)

(lml Model.)

4IIII |11 Hi UNITED STATES CYRUS C. CARTER, OF PRESTON, GEORGIA.

GRAPPLING-TONGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,424, dated October '7, 1902.

Application led January 15,1902. Serial No. 89,912. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUs C. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Preston, in the county of Vebster and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grappling-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to tongs for grappling the chords or stringers of a railroad-trestle, and has for its object to provide a ready means of firmly holding and raising the chords, ties, and rails together for surfacing the track.

The invention consists in features of novelty, as hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, whereon- Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved grappling-tongs; Fig. 2, a top plan thereof; Fig. 3, an edge view of the same at right angles to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a cross-section through a railroad-trestle, broken away, showing the application of my invention thereto.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

o. represents myimproved grappling-tongs, which consist of two levers of the first order arranged side by side in opposite directions and having a common fulcrum-joint 1. The preferably shorter arms 2 of the levers are formed at their outer ends, respectively, with circular enlargements which are adapted to engage on the bottom flange or tread 3 at each side of the vertical central web ofthe track-rail b, which is secured to the ties c in the usual manner, as seen in Fig. 4. The

long arms 4 of the levers in this position of the arms 2 extend outward from the fulcrum 1 in opposite directions and somewhat beyond the outer sides of the chords or stringers Cl.

To the outer'end of each arm 4 is hinged at one end a link 5, having at its free end a spur or catch 6, which in the dependent position of the links 5 face each other, as shown.

In operating the tongs a, for surfacing the track the arms 2 are closed upon and held by the anges 3 of the rail h, with the links 5 dependent from the arms 4. The links 5 are then closed toward each other and their spurs 6 forced into engagement with the outer sides of theohords d,which are thereby firmly gripped, and the ties c, with the tongs ct and chords d, being then raised together by the screw-jack e from the sill g and lower framework of the trestle A the resulting strain on the tongs a will cause the enlarged ends of the arms 2 to ride on the bottom Hanges or tread 3 of the rails b toward each other, and in so doing the tongs @will take up the slack between the chordsd and ties c and clamp them tightly together' for enabling the shims fto be inserted between the sills g and the chords CZ. By this means the slow and irregu; lar method of raising the ties and chords is obviated and the track surfaced quickly and with greater precision.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In tongs of the character described, the combination of two oppositelevers having a common fulcrum, one arm of each lever having an enlargement, a link hinged to the other arm of each lever, and a spur projecting from the link; the said enlargements and spurs being adapted to engage the object grappled by the tongs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OYRUS C. CARTER. 

